Introduction
Asia Society and The George Lucas Educational Foundation convened a national meeting to explore strategies for expanding internationally themed programming in afterschool and summer learning initiatives. Planned in collaboration with the Afterschool and Community Learning Network and The Children’s Aid Society, this invitational forum brought together representatives from national groups, state and local leaders, and experts in informal learning and youth development. The meeting helped formulate ways to leverage out-of-school time to prepare young people for employment and citizenship in the global age, including innovative uses of community and international connections, project-based learning, and educational technology in the extended learning hours. Participants shared knowledge of model programs and best practices from not only international education but also from afterschool and summer learning initiatives integrating the arts, science, math, and social studies. Attendees considered approaches to international learning beyond school hours from a range of perspectives: as providers, as educators and youth development practitioners, as funders, and as advocates and policymakers. As Terry Peterson, director of the Afterschool and Community Learning Network, stated at the meeting, “While we wait
for the formal education systems to respond, there is a giant challenge and opportunity for all of us who care about youth development and afterschool and summer learning to begin to expose our kids to the larger world beyond U.S. borders.”
Three questions discussed at the meeting provide a point of departure for this report:
1. How can extended learning programs and initiatives integrate international content into program design, development, and delivery?
2. What help is available and needed to implement internationally oriented afterschool and summer learning initiatives?
3. How can the afterschool community incorporate an international perspective in policy advocacy?
In addition, these questions were considered in the context of four fundamental
concerns in the afterschool field:
• meeting the developmental needs of children;
• leveraging existing assets and creating feasible approaches;
• providing professional support; and
• developing funding and resources.
The report, which summarizes and expands upon the meeting, discusses the importance and
growth of international education both during and beyond the school day, presents ideas and
opportunities for the field, and recommends several action steps. We hope the report will motivate broader discussion and action on promoting global literacy in the extended learning
hours. As Jane Quinn of The Children’s Aid Society remarked at the meeting, “Unlike school reform, we don’t have to dismantle an outmoded process. We can create something new, but it’s a new responsibility.”
Michael Levine, Executive Director, and Alexis Menten, Senior Program Associate, Education Department, Asia Society
